Quebecor, Shaw to benefit from 600 MHz set-asides: analysts

telecom | 08/08/2017 3:27 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron and Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile will be the big winners if Innovation Canada goes ahead with its plans to set aside spectrum for smaller players in the...

ISED mulling set-asides for 600 MHz spectrum

telecom | 08/04/2017 4:38 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada is looking to bolster wireless competition by...

CRTC calls for comments on VOD, discretionary service dispute tool

Media | 08/04/2017 1:13 pm EDT

The CRTC is asking for feedback on whether it should add dispute-resolution provisions to its newly created Discretionary Services Regulations. In a call for consultations posted Friday, the...

Service restored after cut cable cripples Bell, Telus network

telecom | 08/04/2017 11:15 am EDT

A cut cable crippled the shared network of BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. in...

CSE watching proposed U.S. IoT security bill

telecom | 08/03/2017 4:39 pm EDT

Four United States senators are proposing a bill that would require minimum cybersecurity standards for Internet of Things (IoT) devices bought by federal agencies. The bipartisan Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017 was introduced Tuesday by Democrats Mark Warner and Ron Wyden and Republicans Cory Gardner and Steve Daines. It mandates that those IoT devices purchased by the government be free of known security vulnerabilities or defects, be able to accept authentic updates from the vendor and require contractors to repair or patch devices against any future...

Bell subs feel impact of ‘aggressive’ cable competition in Q2

telecom | 08/03/2017 2:22 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is hoping the second half of the year results in a boost for its...

IoT connections to factor into roaming agreements: Juniper

telecom | 08/03/2017 1:03 pm EDT

The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices means the technology will need to be included in roaming agreements in the future, according to a new report by Juniper Research. “Juniper...

Freedom cites ‘suspicious patterns’ in Iristel traffic pumping case

telecom | 08/02/2017 4:00 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile says that its decision not to...

Shaw adds unlimited option to most-popular internet plan

telecom | 08/01/2017 3:58 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. is adding an unlimited usage option to its...

Transparency reporting in Canada: still opaque?

telecom | 07/31/2017 4:15 pm EDT

Without an Edward Snowden-like scandal, exposing inappropriate government access of citizens’ personal...

Self-driving car crosses U.S.-Canada border

telecom | 07/31/2017 3:35 pm EDT

The first cross-border test in North America involving self-driving vehicles took place Monday with a...

Telecoms call for 20-year term for AWS-1, no R&D minimum

telecom | 07/31/2017 2:03 pm EDT

Canada’s largest wireless providers told Innovation Canada that they support its suggested 20-year term for AWS-1 and G Block Spectrum, but asked the department to eliminate a research and...

Non-profit gives tech leg up to telecoms, smaller businesses

telecom | 07/28/2017 4:09 pm EDT

Canada’s big three wireless providers are now cooperating on a...

CRTC asks telecoms about MVNOs, plans for low-income customers

telecom | 07/28/2017 12:41 pm EDT

The CRTC is asking wireless service providers about whether they’ve been approached by potential mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and their service offerings for low-income individuals. The regulator issued a request for information Tuesday as part of its proceeding on changing wholesale wireless roaming rules to include mandated roaming by WiFi-based MVNOs. It asked companies, including BCE Inc., Telus Corp., Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron about which potential MVNOs have approached them in the past two years, whether they accepted or...

BDU revenue losses accelerate to 2.1%: CRTC

Media | 07/27/2017 5:10 pm EDT

Canadian TV providers’ revenues dropped 2.1 per cent in 2016 — a marked increase from the 0.1 per...

CWTA starting 5G group

telecom | 07/26/2017 5:19 pm EDT

A new group focusing on 5G technology in Canada held its first meeting Wednesday. The objective of the 5G Canada Council is to “promote a vibrant 5G ecosystem in...

Deny TerreStar ask for more spectrum, telecoms tell ISED

telecom | 07/26/2017 3:17 pm EDT

TerreStar Solutions Inc. is asking Innovation, Science and Economic...

Little mention of telecom in B.C. gov’t mandate letters

telecom | 07/26/2017 12:49 pm EDT

Though included in its platform, the mandate letters for the cabinet...

Gov’t awards $13.2M contract for mobile satellite comms

telecom | 07/26/2017 12:46 pm EDT

The federal government will spend $13.2 million on mobile satellite telecom equipment that it says will improve communication for public servants working abroad or in remote locations. Shared Services Canada said in a Wednesday press release that it has awarded three contacts to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based MetOcean Telematics and Ottawa-based Track24 Canada Ltd. for access to services and equipment operating on Iridium Communications Inc.’s satellite network. The satellite services “complement Shared Services Canada’s ability to provide worldwide mobile connectivity...

Telus offering communication service for doctors

telecom | 07/26/2017 11:31 am EDT

Telus Corp. said Wednesday it has launched a service that allows doctors to communicate with each...

Bell providing customers energy management through IoT

telecom | 07/25/2017 5:35 pm EDT

Business customers of BCE Inc.’s network will be able to use an energy...

Scheer backs Que. calls for roadside wireless coverage

telecom | 07/25/2017 4:42 pm EDT

Opposition leader Andrew Scheer has added his voice to a campaign in Quebec...

Google turns to U.S. courts over Equustek decision

Media | 07/25/2017 12:58 pm EDT

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is challenging the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) to order...

Videotron-Freedom spectrum sale complete

telecom | 07/24/2017 4:24 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has closed its spectrum sale to Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile, the company announced Monday. The $430-million transaction of seven 2500MHz and 700MHz licences in southern Ontario,...

Guy Laurence joins Veon board

telecom | 07/24/2017 11:54 am EDT

The former CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., Guy Laurence, has been elected to the supervisory board...

BlackBerry call encryption approved for U.S. government

telecom | 07/21/2017 4:12 pm EDT

Blackberry Ltd. will now be able to provide its mobile device...

$16M in Connecting Canadians funds going to Que. communities

telecom | 07/21/2017 3:43 pm EDT

The government will dip into its Connecting Canadians program to subsidize high-speed internet in 13 rural and remote communities in Quebec. More than 2,800 households in Saint-Damien and...

U.S. broadcasters look to resume retransmission row

Media | 07/21/2017 2:52 pm EDT

A group of American TV stations seems to be renewing its efforts to put compensation for signals retransmitted in Canada back on the government’s agenda as it enters into renegotiations of its free-trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. Television Coalition,...

CRTC consulting on MVNO rules

telecom | 07/21/2017 11:07 am EDT

The CRTC has launched a consultation on changing its wholesale wireless roaming rules, following a call...

Rogers aims to improve churn, ‘reset’ enterprise division

Media | 07/20/2017 5:16 pm EDT

Joe Natale, president and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., reiterated...

Rogers intros connected car monitoring device

telecom | 07/19/2017 5:31 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. has launched a device that allows users to monitor vehicle maintenance and...

Prioritize public funding for digitally underserved areas: report

telecom | 07/19/2017 3:53 pm EDT

The federal government should focus on funding digital connectivity in rural and remote communities and provide tax incentives to boost private sector infrastructure spending, suggests a new report...

New CRTC vice-chair not afraid of tough issues: ISED PS

Media | 07/19/2017 12:22 pm EDT

The CRTC’s incoming vice-chairwoman of broadcasting, Caroline Simard, has a thorough, analytical mind and is well equipped to tackle the big issues in her new role at the telecom and broadcast regulator, according to the innovation minister’s lieutenant. David...

Quebec class action over Bell rate increases to proceed

telecom | 07/19/2017 11:51 am EDT

The Quebec Superior Court has approved a class-action lawsuit against BCE Inc. for unilaterally changing the terms of contracts for its internet, landline, wireless and telephone services. The...

Dirk Woessner leaving Rogers

telecom | 07/18/2017 5:34 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s president of consumer business, Dirk Woessner, is leaving the company and...

Roaming revenues to fall 11% after EU ban: Juniper

telecom | 07/18/2017 4:49 pm EDT

The European Union’s elimination of roaming charges has pushed global mobile roaming revenue numbers down, according to a new report by Juniper Research. The EU recently said it was eliminating roaming charges after it came...

U.S. calling for better access to Canadian telecom market in new NAFTA

telecom | 07/18/2017 4:25 pm EDT

The United States is calling for its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners to limit restrictions and make it easier for its companies to compete in their telecommunications markets....

Ian Scott ‘collegial’ choice for new CRTC chair: former colleagues

Media | 07/18/2017 11:49 am EDT

The choice of Ian Scott as the new chairman of the CRTC was greeted...

Bains talks collaboration on autonomous cars in U.S.

telecom | 07/17/2017 5:19 pm EDT

Autonomous cars are one promising area for collaboration between Canada and the United States, Innovation...

Split CRTC into two regulators, ISOC tells gov’t

Media | 07/17/2017 4:46 pm EDT

The government should consider dividing the CRTC into separate telecom and broadcast regulators partly to ensure both issues get a fair view, according to a letter from the Internet Society of Canada (ISOC). The letter,...

Videotron facing patent infringement claim from TiVo

Media | 07/17/2017 4:26 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is being sued for patent infringement by TiVo Inc. and one of its...

Cogeco’s U.S. cable prospects more promising: Barclays

telecom | 07/17/2017 2:40 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. can look to cable in the United States to see sustained growth compared to a harsher cable market in Canada, according to Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang. “Relative to Canadian cable, we believe growth in US cable is much more sustainable, driven by share gains and strong pricing power against limited competition for the foreseeable future,” Huang wrote in a Monday note. Last week, Cogeco purchased the remaining MetroCast assets — it bought the Connecticut operation in 2015 — of Harron Communications LP in the U.S. for $1.4 billion. The deal includes...

Cogeco reports higher revenues and profit in Q3

Media | 07/14/2017 3:11 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. reported stronger revenues and profits for its fiscal third quarter, the first earnings...

Mobile banking use up to 43%: J.D. Power

telecom | 07/13/2017 3:47 pm EDT

Canadians’ use of smartphones for banking activities has nearly doubled over the past three years, according to a new report by J.D. Power. The Canadian Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, released Thursday, found that mobile...

G20 heads call for lawful access cooperation in anti-terror statement

telecom | 07/12/2017 5:19 pm EDT

A joint statement from G20 leaders stemming from their two-day meeting last...

Growth of Canadians on social networks slowing: report

Media | 07/12/2017 5:02 pm EDT

Canada’s social network usage is projected to grow steadily over the next four years but growth will slow compared to previous years, according to a report by research company eMarketer Inc. The...

FCC’s net neutrality changes could affect Canada, some experts say

telecom | 07/12/2017 4:37 pm EDT

On Wednesday, major internet and tech companies teamed up to rally against a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to overturn net neutrality rules imposed...

Bell quad-band LTE-A network live in nearly 40 cities

telecom | 07/12/2017 1:46 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s new quad band LTE-advanced (LTE-A) service is now live in nearly 40 cities in eight provinces, the company announced Wednesday. In an email, spokeswoman Jacqueline Michelis said the technology is now available...

Five free data hours for Fido customers

telecom | 07/12/2017 11:32 am EDT

Customers of Rogers Communications Inc.’s flanker brand, Fido, are being offered free wireless data...

Alaraby Television Network approved for distribution

Media | 07/11/2017 5:29 pm EDT

The CRTC approved Tuesday an application by sponsor Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. to add Alaraby Television Network to its list of non-Canadian channels authorized for distribution. Ethnic Channels group said in its...

ADR files GIC petition over ignored emergency alert system

telecom | 07/11/2017 5:22 pm EDT

The federal cabinet should overturn a spring CRTC decision mandating...

Western Canada, Quebec to get Connecting Canadians funding

telecom | 07/11/2017 4:43 pm EDT

Following a pledge last week to connect certain Quebec communities, the federal government will once again dip into its Connecting Canadians fund to provide capital to the tune of $10 million for...

ISED approves Videotron spectrum transfer to Freedom

telecom | 07/11/2017 11:30 am EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) has approved the transfer of spectrum licences from Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron to Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile. ISED said in a Monday release that the...

How serious is the CRTC’s ‘unprecedented’ lack of commissioners?

Media | 07/10/2017 4:58 pm EDT

At the end of this week, following the departure of its vice-chairman of...

Reseller registration delayed to 2018

telecom | 07/10/2017 4:44 pm EDT

Telecom service resellers will have an extra year to comply with a CRTC order to register with the regulator. A January order “directed all non-carriers with existing service contracts or other arrangements with Canadian...

‘Battle for the Net’ coming Wednesday

Media | 07/10/2017 2:23 pm EDT

Major internet-based companies and organizations are preparing to participate in a Wednesday campaign advocating for the preservation of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Open Internet Order, also known as Title II. Billed Battle for the Net, the...

ISED consulting on leftover spectrum licensing

telecom | 07/10/2017 9:49 am EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has launched a consultation on the licensing of unassigned or returned spectrum. That includes three 700MHz licences in the North, 62 licences in the 2500 MHz band, as...

Canadian fibre connections grow to 10 per cent: OECD

telecom | 07/07/2017 1:54 pm EDT

The increase in Canadian fibre broadband subscriptions slowed in 2016, slipping to ninth in growth among 35 Organization for Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD) countries. According to December 2016 numbers released...

Rogers increases data overage fees

telecom | 07/06/2017 5:44 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. has increased its mobile data overage rates to a cost per gigabyte of $70 for new plans. The changes, instituted Wednesday, include a two-cent increase per megabyte — to seven cents from five —...

Give four days’ notice before service disconnection, CRTC says

telecom | 07/06/2017 3:31 pm EDT

Telecommunications service providers must give customers a heads up of at least four business days before disconnecting or suspending a service to end users or another service provider, the CRTC said...

Ericsson chairman Leif Johansson stepping down

telecom | 07/05/2017 3:28 pm EDT

Leif Johansson, chairman of the board at Ericsson AB, will not be available for re-election at the company’s next annual general meeting in 2018. Reflecting on the company’s “new, more focused, business strategy” after Börje Ekholm became CEO at the beginning...

Stakeholder meetings status quo for CRTC, Shoan argues

Media | 07/05/2017 3:11 pm EDT

The encounters with stakeholders that formed part of the rationale for his...

Canada in top 10 for cybersecurity: ITU report

telecom | 07/05/2017 3:07 pm EDT

Canada is a leading country in its commitment to cyber security, according to a new report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Global Cybersecurity Index 2017 report, released Wednesday, listed Canada in...

Iristel brings another traffic pumping dispute to CRTC

telecom | 07/04/2017 5:49 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile is refusing to pay Iristel Inc. for some services in a move that relates to an ongoing proceeding in front of the CRTC over traffic stimulation, Iristel...

No wholesale obligations for new broadband fund projects: telcos

telecom | 07/04/2017 5:17 pm EDT

Mandating wholesale access as a condition of funding for projects under the CRTC’s new broadband funding regime will increase costs while effectively discouraging investment, two of the country’s...

TNW Wireless files Part 1 over roaming agreements

telecom | 07/04/2017 3:54 pm EDT

A Northern mobile wireless provider is asking the CRTC to compel a pair of incumbents to strike roaming...

Videotron offering extra data to Unlimited Music subscribers

Media | 07/04/2017 3:37 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is increasing the data limits of wireless...

CRTC denies new Ottawa-Gatineau radio station

Media | 06/30/2017 4:15 pm EDT

The Ottawa-Gatineau radio market can’t sustain another station, the CRTC said in a Friday decision, and won’t consider an application for a new ethnic station in the area. The decision comes following a...

Civil society groups take aim at Five Eyes on encryption

Media | 06/30/2017 3:51 pm EDT

More than six dozen civil society organizations and individuals have come out to reiterate support for stronger data encryption in a letter addressed to a quintet of the world’s intelligence...

STB data measurement complex task, group says

Media | 06/30/2017 2:23 pm EDT

Activity by a working group tasked with studying the implementation of an audience measurement system via set-top boxes is slow, but steady, TV providers told the CRTC, with user privacy coming to bear as a top concern for those involved. Broadcast distribution...

SaskTel CEO leaving company July 1

telecom | 06/29/2017 2:38 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp.’s president and CEO, Ron Styles, will...

Antoinette Noviello promoted at Videotron

Media | 06/29/2017 12:57 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has named Antoinette Noviello vice-president, corporate comptroller. “Antoinette is now taking charge of all aspects of Videotron's financial and accounting operations, including credit-risk...

TNW Wireless, iFramed sold to U.S. company

Media | 06/28/2017 5:05 pm EDT

Investel Capital Corp.’s TNW Wireless Inc. has been sold to an American holding and management company, United American Corp., the Florida-based company announced in a Wednesday press release. TNW Wireless, which serves...

Plan comes together for TV subs boost in Shaw Q3: Mehr

telecom | 06/28/2017 2:26 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s increased TV and Internet subscription numbers...

Five Eyes watching online terror content

Media | 06/28/2017 1:26 pm EDT

Representatives from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance have issued a statement lauding the creation of a coalition by some of the world’s biggest tech companies aimed at tackling terrorist content online. On Monday, Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc. announced the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism to share research, knowledge and technological solutions, such as content detection and classification techniques using machine learning. “This initiative represents an opportunity to significantly reduce the availability of this content across...

Supreme Court’s Google search ban could have global implications

Media | 06/28/2017 10:07 am EDT

OTTAWA — In a landmark ruling, Canada’s top court dismissed an appeal...

Tech giants coordinating to tackle terror content

Media | 06/27/2017 6:05 pm EDT

Some of the world’s largest technology and social media companies are forming a coalition to counter terrorism. The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism is being formed with the help of Facebook Inc., Microsoft...

EU fines Google 2.4B euros

Media | 06/27/2017 5:31 pm EDT

The European Union has fined Alphabet Inc.’s Google 2.4 billion euros — about $3.6 billion in Canadian dollars — for giving itself an “illegal advantage” in its...

Philippe Cloutier new Videotron CFO

Media | 06/27/2017 4:49 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has named Philippe Cloutier its senior vice-president and chief financial...

U.S. NAFTA consult targets CanCon, copyright, data rules

Media | 06/27/2017 4:11 pm EDT

American companies and organizations took aim at Canadian cultural...

Peter Menzies leaving CRTC in July

Media | 06/27/2017 12:41 pm EDT

The CRTC’s vice-chairman of telecom, Peter Menzies, is leaving the CRTC nearly a year before the end of...

Wireless promos up compared to last year: Barclays

telecom | 06/26/2017 4:58 pm EDT

Leading up to Canada’s 150th anniversary, wireless promotions from incumbents and their flanker brands have increased noticeably compared to last year, according to Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang. Promotions in the...

CCSA leads lobbying after Hill visit

Media | 06/26/2017 2:55 pm EDT

Last month’s deluge of Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA) members on Parliament Hill for the...

LTE still has ‘untapped potential’: Desjardins

telecom | 06/26/2017 2:08 pm EDT

While 5G is expected to arrive in a couple of years, the LTE standard still has some room for growth, according to Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi. Sprint Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced in a press release last week that they reached peak speeds of 330 Mbps per channel on LTE in a field test, a capacity per channel increase of four times. “While many looking for new wireless technology are turning to 5G, LTE still appears to have untapped potential,” Yaghi said in a Friday note, adding the test that was conducted in South Korea. “We believe...

Telus successfully tests 5G connection

telecom | 06/23/2017 1:58 pm EDT

Telus Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. said in a Friday press release they have accomplished a 5G wireless connection using the global 3GPP technology standards platform. The companies said it’s “one of the most...

Privacy improvements in Bill C-59, but some concerns remain: experts

telecom | 06/22/2017 5:16 pm EDT

In their initial impressions of the government’s biggest attempt to...

New IoT network launched in Quebec

telecom | 06/22/2017 1:00 pm EDT

Quebec-based X-Telia has deployed a network dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT) in Montreal, the company said in a press release Thursday. It said in the French-language release that it’s the first IoT-dedicated...

Videotron to open up 5G trial project to proposals

telecom | 06/21/2017 3:48 pm EDT

MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron gave an update on the progress of a partnership focused on...

200 to join Amazon’s Toronto office

telecom | 06/21/2017 12:27 pm EDT

Amazon.com Inc. is poised to expand its Canadian workforce by 200 positions, the Ontario government announced Tuesday. In a press release, the province said the company, which already employs 600 people at its Toronto office, will recruit more people, “including...

Rogers reorganizes consumer unit, two execs leaving

telecom | 06/20/2017 6:28 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s chief customer officer, Deepak Khandelwal, and chief brand officer Dale Hooper have decided to leave the company, as those two departments get rolled into a single unit, Rogers said. The new...

CSE to work more directly with telecoms on network security

telecom | 06/20/2017 5:38 pm EDT

OTTAWA — New national security legislation proposed Tuesday will enable...

SaskTel to boost Internet speeds in indigenous communities

telecom | 06/20/2017 2:56 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. will improve Internet service...

Judith LaRocque named acting CRTC chair for 4-month term

Media | 06/19/2017 5:52 pm EDT

Judith LaRocque has been appointed acting CRTC chairwoman for a four-month...

Blais evokes praise, criticism as he leaves CRTC

Media | 06/19/2017 5:36 pm EDT

Now that former chairman Jean-Pierre Blais has departed the CRTC after five years at the helm, he leaves...

Eastlink expanding gigabit Internet service

telecom | 06/19/2017 5:13 pm EDT

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink is making 1 GB Internet speeds more widely available and will target the consumer market. "For years, we have been providing Gigabit speeds and higher to our larger business customers...

CRTC unlocking decision could slightly increase churn: Desjardins

telecom | 06/16/2017 5:01 pm EDT

A move to ban device unlocking fees and mandate all new phones be sold unlocked by December could “slightly” increase churn rates, but the impact shouldn’t be material, Desjardins Capital...

Facebook no place for terrorists, company says

Media | 06/16/2017 4:14 pm EDT

Facebook Inc. said it wants to be a “hostile place” for terrorists, and outlined Thursday a series of steps it’s taking to counteract terrorism on its platforms. These actions include using artificial intelligence to...

Civil liberties groups back privacy commish on device searches

telecom | 06/16/2017 4:10 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Grouping electronic devices with other goods when it comes to searches at the border is an affront to Canadians’ right to privacy and border laws must be clearer to protect citizens from unreasonable searches of their devices, civil liberties groups argued in...